Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard R. Verma and Chargé d’Affaires Nancy VanHorn met with Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana today. 

They discussed Albania's incredible support for Afghan refugees and Ukraine and how vital EU integration is for Albania's future. 

Deputy Secretary Verma offered his congratulations for Albania’s selection for an MCC Compact, an opportunity to partner on a program for economic growth as Albania moves toward full European integration.

On December 23,2024 the Millennium Challenge Corporation Candidate Country Reform Act became law, empowering the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to bring its development tools to an increasingly diverse set of countries. MCC’s Board of Directors utilized this new authority to select Albania as eligible to develop a compact designed to help the country reduce poverty through economic growth. 

Albania was selected to develop a compact grant program in recognition of the country’s democratic history, the efforts of its institutions to fight corruption and uphold the rule of law, and the ongoing development challenges that Albania continues to face. 

MCC and the Government of Albania will work collaboratively with local organizations and communities to identify significant constraints hindering economic growth in Albania. That collaborative, data-driven analysis will inform the design of a program. The size and content of the final program is contingent on analytical work done in partnership between MCC and the Government of Albania, the availability of funds, and approval of the proposed program by the MCC Board of Directors. MCC and the Embassy look forward to working closely with the Government of Albania to launch the compact development process. Selection does not guarantee that Albania will receive a compact program. MCC’s Board will continue to look for evidence of successful compact program development and Albania’s ongoing commitment to MCC’s eligibility criteria.

The legislation, which resulted from a bipartisan effort, expands MCC’s candidate country pool by 33 countries and positions the agency to engage more deeply in different regions around the world. This reform represents a historic shift that elevates the agency’s mission and impact. Yesterday, MCC released scorecards for this new set of countries.

MCC’s rigorous eligibility criteria and competitive selection process create a powerful incentive for countries to reform their policies even before a program dollar is spent – referred to as “The MCC Effect.” Countries around the world are using MCC’s scorecard as a road map for policy and institutional reforms to qualify for MCC funding and identify where improvements are needed to foster economic growth.

“MCC has a proven model for alleviating poverty by fostering economic growth and good governance, and creating enabling environments for private sector investment,” said MCC CEO Alice Albright. “The MCC Candidate Country Reform Act will bring geographical diversity, supercharge the “MCC Effect,” and allow us to tackle growing rates of poverty where it is. We anticipate building lasting relationships in every corner of the world as we look to MCC’s next twenty years.”

The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. government development agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants that pair investments in infrastructure with policy and institutional reforms to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.